ISLAMABAD, June 7: Provincial minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim has been tipped as the new Sindh chief minister after the resignation of Sardar Ali Mohammad Mahar, sources told Dawn here on Monday.

They said there were three contenders for the office but the name of Sindh Minister for Works Arbab Ghulam Rahim had been finalized. According to the sources, the other two contenders were Sindh Assembly Speaker Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah and Imtiaz Sheikh.

A senior government official, privy to the developments taking place in Sindh, told Dawn that chances of Arbab Ghulam Rahim becoming the new chief minister were bright.

When asked about the other two contenders, he said the name of Imtiaz Sheikh had already been dropped. A source in the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) also hinted that Mr Rahim, who had recently held talks with the party chief Altaf Hussain in London, would be appointed to the coveted post on Tuesday.